Review of revised "Head Shot" by Paul Chambers

Peter Fokes

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Apr 27, 2012, 2:56:34 PM4/27/12

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http://tech.mit.edu/V132/N21/headshot.html

PF

Canuck

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Apr 27, 2012, 8:32:44 PM4/27/12

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On Apr 27, 11:56 am, Peter Fokes <pfo...@rogers.com> wrote:
> http://tech.mit.edu/V132/N21/headshot.html
>
> PF

In what way is the "expanded version" of HEAD SHOT different from the
original? - prwhitmey

Anthony Marsh

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Apr 28, 2012, 8:05:52 PM4/28/12

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On 4/27/2012 2:56 PM, Peter Fokes wrote:
> http://tech.mit.edu/V132/N21/headshot.html
>
>
> PF

Two different issues.
First, the reviewer is an idiot.

I quote from his opening salvo:

A front page for The Onion dated November 22, 1963 reads: ?Kennedy Slain
By CIA, Mafia, Castro, LBJ, Freemasons.? I?d bet you a nickel that many
people find that headline funny. I know it made me laugh.

He laughs because he is an idiot. Because he doesn't realize that it is
not a matter of choosing which of those groups was involved. Many can all
be involved at the same time. Such as the Castro plots which were a joint
venture between the CIA and the Mafia using some businesses as fronts.

Second, I have not read the revised book, but I was not impressed by the
original. The author did not seem to understand some basic facts about
ballistics. You can't tell a bullet what it must do or what it can't do.
You don't need an exit wound. The exit wound does not have to be on the
opposite side of the head. In the Reagan assassination James Brady was
struck in the forehead by an explosive bullet which did not exit. In the
original book Chambers got a lot of technical details wrong. I don't know
if he has corrected them in the updated book.

claviger

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Apr 29, 2012, 8:22:43 PM4/29/12

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Couldn't help but notice Chambers echoes the Donahue Theory. Both
agree the devastating head wound indicates the terminal ballistics of
a high velocity .223 projectile. Chambers thinks possibly a .220 Swift
with a 4,000 fps velocity. The AR-15 .223 produced a 3,000 fps
projectile. It also gives some credence to the .221 Fireball with
2700 fps claimed by James Files. The first two are considered super
high velocity projectiles. The old definition of high velocity was
anything at or above 2,000 fps.

Anthony Marsh

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Apr 30, 2012, 7:07:53 PM4/30/12

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AS I said in 2010:

I was disappointed in the book. It is only for the general public to catch
them up to date on the controversy. Not for researchers looking for new
information. And he gets several basic facts wrong. We have already debunk
almost all of those erroneous claims here. He does seem too often to drift
into anecdotal comparisons as if he is a college professor trying to
connect with the "average" person. And like a certain person here he
pretends to be an expert on physics and makes up his own calculations to
produce a ridiculously high muzzle velocity for the grassy knoll shot. He
is so out of the loop of serious research that he doesn't even know that
the HSCA's acoustical experts said the muzzle velocity of the grassy knoll
shot was between 2200 and 2300 fps.

claviger

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May 1, 2012, 10:51:03 AM5/1/12

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Which is close to the m.v. of the Carcano 6.5 mm ammo 2296 fps. That
would make sense in an effort to confuse any investigation between the
two rifles, although barrel striations would most likely prove there
were two rifles involved. Any highly sophisticated conspiracy would
know that. It doesn't matter because the HSCA determined the GK
sniper missed the shot closest to the Limousine. Even though there
was a significant downward trajectory from the knoll of approximately
15% declination, the missing projectile was never found in the open
area across the street. We can assume amateur sleuths spent hours
with metal detectors looking for bullets imbedded in the turf across
from the GK. None were found. Again, no proof a sniper was ever
behind the fence on the elevated Grassy Knoll.

Anthony Marsh

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May 1, 2012, 4:47:58 PM5/1/12

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It also depends on the ammo. During its shooting tests in 1978 the HSCA
could not get enough of the original type of ammo that Oswald bought, the
Western Cartridge Company rounds.

So they had to use Norma rounds for most of the shots. The Norman ammo is
similar to the WCC, but about 5% faster. I have a box of 20 of those. In
general the lighter the bullet the faster the muzzle velocity. For
example, the several different bullets used by Norma:

100 grains - 2930 fps.
156 grains - 2349 fps.

I have calculated the grassy knoll shot's muzzle velocity at 2235 fps. But
I believe that an SMI bullet quite similar to the WCC ammo was modified by
the CIA's TSD to create an explosive round to be used in the Fidel Castro
assassination. That might have reduced the weight of the bullet from 162
grains to about 148 grains which would increase the muzzle velocity from
about 2150 fps to 2235 fps.

> would make sense in an effort to confuse any investigation between the
> two rifles, although barrel striations would most likely prove there
> were two rifles involved. Any highly sophisticated conspiracy would

No. The DPD was not able to match the Walker bullet to Oswald's rifle
because it was mangled.

> know that. It doesn't matter because the HSCA determined the GK
> sniper missed the shot closest to the Limousine. Even though there
> was a significant downward trajectory from the knoll of approximately
> 15% declination, the missing projectile was never found in the open
> area across the street. We can assume amateur sleuths spent hours

The HSCA acoustical experts who studied the grassy knoll shot said the
bullet stopped in the vicinity of the limo.

> with metal detectors looking for bullets imbedded in the turf across
> from the GK. None were found. Again, no proof a sniper was ever
> behind the fence on the elevated Grassy Knoll.
>

The evidence shows that there was a man behind the fence.

>

claviger

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May 1, 2012, 4:48:59 PM5/1/12

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He didn't come at it from that direction. Chambers is talking about
terminal ballistics, meaning wound ballistics. What could have caused
such a massive wound in the head? In his opinion only a ultra high
velocity projectile having the failure impact of a frangible bullet. We
know from combat experience the AR-15/M-16 .223 FMJ has that same problem.
The high thermal loads on the bullet due to friction down the barrel and
air friction on the way to the target causes the jacket and lead core to
soften and split on contact with hard bone. This happens with such
frequency that international pressure groups want the M-16 banned as a
weapon producing frangible bullets, a violation of Geneva Convention
protocol. The slower velocity Carcano 6.5 FMJ does fail and crumble when
impacting hard bone but usually into a few medium size fragments, rather
than a "lead snowstorm" of tiny fragments. Not impossible for the 6.5 mm
projectile, just extremely rare.

The fact a bodyguard in the follow-up car "10 to 12 feet" behind the
Limousine had an AR-15 in his hands during the ambush on the motorcade
makes it a prime suspect for a friendly-fire accident. Donahue came to
the conclusion the trajectory, entrance wound, and terminal ballistics all
pointed to the AR-15 as the source of the head shot. He was convinced the
bodyguard didn't even realize he fired this weapon at the time. Had this
SS Agent not lost his balance he might have shot the sniper in the 6th
floor window and been a national hero. As fate would have it, he may have
accidently provided a coup- de-grâce to a severely wounded President.
JFK died a hero with dignity while under fire. There is no doubt this
President who lived life with such vigor and joie-de-vivre would rather
die on the spot than waste away in a hospice.

Anthony Marsh

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May 1, 2012, 8:36:01 PM5/1/12

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His opinion is wrong, because he does not know much about ballistics.

> know from combat experience the AR-15/M-16 .223 FMJ has that same problem.
> The high thermal loads on the bullet due to friction down the barrel and
> air friction on the way to the target causes the jacket and lead core to
> soften and split on contact with hard bone. This happens with such
> frequency that international pressure groups want the M-16 banned as a
> weapon producing frangible bullets, a violation of Geneva Convention

It's not the Geneva Convention. It's the Hague Convention.

> protocol. The slower velocity Carcano 6.5 FMJ does fail and crumble when
> impacting hard bone but usually into a few medium size fragments, rather
> than a "lead snowstorm" of tiny fragments. Not impossible for the 6.5 mm
> projectile, just extremely rare.
>
> The fact a bodyguard in the follow-up car "10 to 12 feet" behind the
> Limousine had an AR-15 in his hands during the ambush on the motorcade
> makes it a prime suspect for a friendly-fire accident. Donahue came to

Ridiculous. The AR-15 was not fired that day.

> the conclusion the trajectory, entrance wound, and terminal ballistics all
> pointed to the AR-15 as the source of the head shot. He was convinced the
> bodyguard didn't even realize he fired this weapon at the time. Had this
> SS Agent not lost his balance he might have shot the sniper in the 6th
> floor window and been a national hero. As fate would have it, he may have

Ridiculous. No one of the bodyguards pinpointed the location of the
sniper and by the time Hickey picked up the AR-15 the limo was too far
down Elm to shoot at that window.

> accidently provided a coup- de-grāce to a severely wounded President.

> JFK died a hero with dignity while under fire. There is no doubt this
> President who lived life with such vigor and joie-de-vivre would rather
> die on the spot than waste away in a hospice.
>
>

In fact there is a science fiction story where the President is in a
coma and the confusion over leadership sparks WWIII and the end of life
on the planet.

claviger

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May 2, 2012, 10:39:37 PM5/2/12

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On Apr 27, 1:56 pm, Peter Fokes <pfo...@rogers.com> wrote:
> http://tech.mit.edu/V132/N21/headshot.html
>
> PF

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